Toronto
Encyclopedia : T : TO : TOR : Toronto
- This article is about the Canadian city. For other uses, see Toronto (disambiguation).
The city of Toronto proper has a population of 2,481,494 inhabitants (2001 census) and is the most populous city in Canada. The population of the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is estimated at 5,304,100 inhabitants in 2005. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA), slightly larger than the Toronto CMA, is defined by provincial authorities for urban planning purposes. Toronto is at the centre of the Golden Horseshoe, a densely populated region in Ontario which is home to roughly eight million people, or one quarter of the Canadian population.
In 1998, the current City of Toronto was amalgamated from its six prior municipalities and regional government. The current mayor of Toronto is David Miller. In January 2005, it was designated by the federal government as one of Canada's cultural capitals. Toronto is sometimes nicknamed T.O., The Big Smoke, or Hogtown.
History
- Main articles: History of Toronto and Toronto's name
Demographics
Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. In 2004, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ranked Toronto second, behind Miami, in its "List of World Cities with the Largest Percentage of Foreign-born Population". Though ranking first, Miami's foreign-born population is mostly Hispanic, whereas Toronto's is significantly more diverse. Toronto also ranked ahead of Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York City, Singapore, and Sydney. The resulting cultural diversity is reflected in the numerous ethnic neighbourhoods of the city.
Toronto represents a multicultural mosaic. The 2001 Canadian census indicates that 42.8% of Toronto's population belong to a visible minority group. In March 2005, Statistics Canada projected that the visible minority proportion will comprise a majority in both Toronto and Vancouver by 2012.
In 1900 the overwhelming proportion of Toronto's population originated in Great Britain and Ireland. During the 20th century, large scale immigration has changed the demographics of Toronto and there are now people from many different ethnic and national origins living in the city. Areas like Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Jamaica, Little India, Portugal Village, Corso Italia and Little Italy are examples of these large changes in the population's origins.
Christianity is the largest faith group in the city of Toronto, the largest denomination of which is Roman Catholicism (33.4%), followed by the Anglican Church (6.9%) and other Christian denominations (Pentecostal, Baptist, Church of God etc.). 5.5% of the city's population adhere to Islam. The percentages for other faiths are Hinduism (4.1%), Judaism (3.5%) and Buddhism and Sikhism 4.0%. 16.6% of the population express no religious affiliation.
While English is the predominant language spoken by Torontonians, Statistics Canada reports that other language groups are significant, including Chinese, Portuguese, Tamil, Persian, Spanish, Punjabi and Italian. Italian is spoken second to English in languages used at work.
Geography and climate
The City of Toronto covers an area of 641 square kilometres (247 sq mi) and is bounded by Lake Ontario to the south, Etobicoke Creek and Highway 427 to the west, Steeles Avenue to the north, and the Rouge River to the east. In addition to Etobicoke Creek and the Rouge River, the city is intersected by two major rivers and their tributaries, the Humber River in the west end and the Don River just east of the central core. The concentration and protection of ravines allows for large tracts of densely forested valleys with recreational trails within the city. However, the ravines also interfere with the city's street grid, and many of the major thoroughfares such as Finch Avenue, Leslie Street, Lawrence Avenue, St. Clair Avenue and Keele Street are terminated as a result, but continue on the other side of the ravines. Many others, such as Bloor Street/Danforth Avenue viaduct require large bridges to cross high above the ravines.
Toronto's climate is moderated by its southerly location within Canada and its proximity to Lake Ontario; its climate is among the mildest of any place in Canada east of the Rocky Mountain range. However, the daily weather is highly variable, particularly during the winter months. Mild periods often occur throughout the winter (temperatures in the 5-10 °C range (40s°F) or even higher are not uncommon) triggering regular melting of snow on the ground, so that there are snow free periods even in mid-winter. There are usually two or three bitter cold snaps each year, where maximum temperatures only reach into the -10°C (14°F) to -20°C (-4°F) range, and minimums can drop to near -30°C (-22°F) , often accompanied by strong winds making it feel even colder. The coldest ever temperature recorded at Toronto Pearson International Airport was -31.3°C (-24.3°F) on January 4, 1981, and the coldest ever wind chill reading was -44.7°C (-48.5°F) also on January 4, 1981. The average January maximum temperature is -2.1 °C (28.2°F), and the average minimum is -10.5°C (13.1°F).
In the summer, daytime temperatures can climb as high as 35°C (95°F), but high humidity often causes the equivalent humidex value to be 40°C (104 °F) or even higher. The highest ever temperature recorded at Toronto Pearson was 38.3°C (100.9°F) on August 25, 1948, and the highest ever humidex reading was 50.3°C (122.5°F) on July 14, 1995. The average July maximum temperature is 26.8°C (80°F), and the average minimum is 14.8°C (58.6°F).
Autumn offers pleasant daytime temperatures followed by refreshingly cool nights. Spring is typically the shortest season of the year, generally with warm days and cool nights. The average yearly precipitation is 793 millimetres (31.7 inches), with an average annual snowfall of about 115 centimetres (46 inches). Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, but summer is usually the wettest (and also sunniest) season. Severe weather phenomena include periods of intense cold in winter and extreme heat in summer (such temperature extremes are usually short-lived, however), freezing rainstorms, thunderstorms, and hail. Toronto is rarely affected by the remnants of Atlantic hurricanes, although Hurricane Hazel in 1954 produced widespread flooding and damage throughout the area.
(Source for Temperature and Precipitation Figures - Environment Canada)
Government
Torontonians elect representatives to the federal, provincial, and municipal levels of government. There are 22 Members of Parliament (MPs) representing Toronto who sit in the House of Commons in Ottawa, and another 22 Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) sit in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in Queen's Park, located in Toronto. Being Ontario's capital, many provincial offices are located in the city.
Toronto's local government consists of 44 elected councillors (representing around 58,000 people each), who along with the mayor, make up the Toronto City Council. Toronto elects a new government every three years, in November. The City of Toronto represents the fifth largest municipal government in North America, and has an operating budget of $7.1 billion CAD. This operating budget comprises $2.5 billion dollars of funds from the Government of Ontario for purposes they mandate such as Toronto Public Health, $2.0 billion for special purpose bodies including the Toronto Public Library and Toronto Zoo, $1.7 billion of directly controlled money, and $0.9 billion for capital financing and non-programs.
The current municipal government is rooted in the creation of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto (known more popularly as "Metro") in 1954. This new regional government, which encompassed the City of Toronto and twelve suburban municipalities, was created in light of the need for more coordination of city services. The postwar boom resulted in suburban development, and it was felt that a coordinated land use planning strategy, as well as shared services, would be more efficient. The Metro government began taking over management of services that crossed municipal boundaries, most notably highways, water, and public transit.
The seven smallest municipalities were amalgamated into their larger neighbours in 1967, but the federated municipal government otherwise lasted until 1998, when the two levels of government were combined and the six remaining municipalities amalgamated into a single municipality or "megacity".
Economy
Toronto is a commercial, distribution, financial and industrial centre. It is the banking and stock exchange centre of the country, and is Canada's primary wholesale and distribution point. Its importance as a seaport increased after the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, but has since diminished and the port is disused (see: Waterfront). Ontario's wealth of raw materials and hydroelectric power have made Toronto a primary centre of industry. The city and its surrounding area produces more than half of Canada's manufactured goods. Compared to other global metropolises, the size of Metropolitan Toronto's economy is 8th in the world with a GDP of approximately US$305 billion (after New York City, London, Tokyo, Osaka, Paris, Los Angeles, and Chicago).
Until the 1970s, Toronto was the second largest city in Canada, after Montreal. The economic growth of Toronto was greatly stimulated by the development of the auto industry and of large mineral resources in its hinterland, and by the completion in 1959 of the St. Lawrence Seaway which allowed ships access to the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean.
As the business and financial capital of the country, Toronto is one of the world's largest financial centres and hosts the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), the third largest stock exchange in North America by market capitalisation and sixth in the world (see List of stock exchanges for complete rankings). The TSX has led North American exchanges by being the second to trade electronically and the first to become listed publicly; in the last decade, it has also generally outperformed various major stock exchanges worldwide. The Toronto financial industry is based on Bay Street, the city's equivalent to Wall Street in New York.
Education
Toronto's elementary and high schools are operated by the Toronto District School Board and the separate Toronto Catholic District School Board. As a large city it is also home to a number of post-secondary educational institutions such as the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Ontario College of Art & Design, York University, Seneca College, Humber College, Centennial College and George Brown College. The Toronto Public Library is also the largest public library system in Canada and the second busiest (by number of visits) in the world after the Hong Kong Public Library.
Transport
There are many forms of transportation in the city of Toronto. These include highways and public transit. Toronto's primary airport is Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). It is along the western boundary with Mississauga. The Government of Ontario operates an extensive rail and bus transit system called GO Transit that links the outlying areas to the city core. 38 trains on 7 train lines run 179 trips, and carry over 160,000 passengers a day. An additional 288 buses feed the main rail lines. Toronto is home to Canada's very first subway line. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) currently operates the public transit system in Toronto. The current transit system in Toronto includes the original subway line running north-south through the city in a "U" shape, a second line running east-west through the southern part of the city, a third line running east-centre through the northern part of the city, and the Scarborough RT (Rapid Transit) mini-train line running through the eastern part of the city (Scarborough). The system also includes an extensive network of buses and streetcars.
Attractions
Toronto's most well-known landmark is the 553 metre (1,815 feet) tall CN Tower. The CN Tower currently stands as the tallest free-standing land structure in the world. Other attractions include sports complexes the Air Canada Centre and the Rogers Centre, the [Royal Ontario Museum], [Distillery District], [Casa Loma], the Toronto Islands, the Toronto Eaton Centre, and [BCE Place] which was designed by Spanish architect [Santiago Calatrava] and is home to the [Hockey Hall of Fame].
Culture
Toronto is a city of many museums, theatres, galleries, festivals, comedy clubs, events and sports. Each year it hosts the renowned [Toronto International Film Festival] in September, World Stage International Theatre Festival and the [Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children] in April, [Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival] in June, the [Toronto Fringe Festival] in July and August, and the International Festival of Authors in October. [Word on the Street] is Canada’s largest, annual outdoor book and magazine festival. During Fête de la Musique (World Music Day) which takes place on June 21 each year, musicians from all over the world perform free concerts in venues across Toronto. [Hot Docs], North America's largest documentary film festival, is held annually in Toronto.
The city is home to the [Canadian Opera Company], the largest producer of opera in Canada and the sixth largest in North America; the [Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts], Toronto's opera house; [Roy Thompson Hall], a landmark concert hall in the theatre district; the Hummingbird Centre; Massey Hall, the Canadian National Exhibition, one of Canada's largest outdoor fairs; the [Ontario Science Center]; the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art; Cinematheque Ontario, Toronto Centre for the Arts, the Princess of Wales Theatre, Royal Alexandra Theatre, and the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre. Ontario Place is located on three beautifully landscaped islands on the shores of Lake Ontario. It has rides and attractions, and includes the world's first permanent IMAX movie theatre, the Cinesphere, a geodesic dome-shaped structure; as well as the Molson Ampitheatre a large open-air venue for large-scale music concerts.
The Distillery District contains unique boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, artist studios and micro breweries, including the well-known Mill Street Brewery. A new theatre, the [Young Centre for the Performing Arts], opened on the site and serves as the home of the [Soulpepper Theatre Company], a classical repertory theatre company, and the drama productions of nearby George Brown College.
Toronto is also one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Canada and the world. This means that there are many cultures which bring along their traditions and music.
Food
As a multicultural city, Toronto offers a variety of food options.
The city celebrates this diversity via food festivals:
- [Taste of Danforth] - Greek
- [Corso Italia] - Italian
- Chinatown Street Festival - Chinese
- Rib Fest - Etobicoke, Scarborough
- Taste of Lawrence - Caribbean
- Toronto Chinatown
- Chinatown East
- Chinatown, Agincourt
- [The Danforth] - Greek
- [Corso Italia]
- [Kensington Market]
- Bloor and Christie / Yonge and Finch - Korean
- Little India - Coxwell
- Bangladesh Markets - The Danforth East (Woodbine-Victoria Park Ave)
- Persian - Yonge and Steeles
Art
Toronto is home to the renowned Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, [Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art], Bata Shoe Museum, [Harbourfront Centre], [Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery], the [Design Exchange], [Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art], and many private galleries in the downtown core. Nuit Blanche Toronto is an all-night free celebration of contemporary art which features public art commissions, all-night exhibitions, live performances and programs throughout the city. During [Doors Open Toronto], which takes place annually in May, over 140 buildings of architectural, historic or cultural significance open their doors to the public for a city-wide celebration. The annual Toronto International Art Fair showcases modern, multi-disciplined art with a focus on the latest developments in the international art scene.
Nightlife
Toronto is home to various clubs in the downtown core. As well there are numerous bars across the city. Some of Toronto's top nightclubs include:
Points of interest
- CN Tower
- Royal Ontario Museum
- Ontario Science Centre
- Rouge Park
- Toronto Islands
- Toronto Zoo
- High Park
- Yorkville
- Distillery District
- Ontario Place
- Chinatown
- The Danforth
- Four Seasons Centre
- Art Gallery of Ontario
- Casa Loma
- University of Toronto campus
- Harbourfront Centre
- BCE Place
- Queen Street West
- St Lawrence Market
Sports teams
, which includes defunct teams.
| Club | League | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Argonauts | CFL Football | Rogers Centre | 1873 | 15 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL Hockey | Air Canada Centre | 1917 | 13 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | IBL Baseball | Christie Pits | 1969 | 7 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | MLB Baseball | Rogers Centre | 1977 | 2 |
| Toronto Raptors | NBA Basketball | Air Canada Centre | 1995 | 0 |
| Toronto Lynx | USL Soccer | Centennial Park Stadium | 1997 | 0 |
| Toronto St. Michaels Majors | OHL Ice Hockey | St. Michael's College School Arena | 1997 | 0 |
| Toronto Rock | NLL Indoor Lacrosse | Air Canada Centre | 1998 | 5 |
| Toronto Marlies | AHL Ice Hockey | Ricoh Coliseum | 2005 | 0 |
| Toronto FC | MLS Soccer | National Soccer Stadium at Exhibition Place | 2007 | 0 |
Other teams include:
- Central Blues
- Etobicoke Kangaroos
- Lakeshore Rebels
- Toronto Inferno
- Toronto Eagles
- Broadview Hawks
- Ryerson Rams
- York Lions
- Varsity Blues
- Metro Junior A League
- Toronto Phantoms
- Toronto Blueshirts
- Toronto Falcons
- Toronto Toros
- Toronto Blizzard
- Toronto Arenas
- Toronto St. Pats
City issues
Toronto's violent crime rates are low compared to US cities of the same size, but in a January 2006 Globe and Mail editorial, it was stated that the rate of violent crime is on the rise #redirect . Toronto's crime patterns are more similar to those of European cities than nearby U.S. communities. Because of a spike in gun-related crimes, especially shootings, in 2005, largely attributed to the rise of gangs, concern over gun- and gang-related crimes has received increased local media attention. There have been calls for increased policing, gun control, and stiffer sentences to help deal with the problem. Gang violence has been the main reason for the outburst of violence in Toronto; between 1997-2005 over three hundred gang-related deaths have occurred. Toronto was also shaken in June, 2006, when police arrested seventeen men in Toronto suburbs and charged them with planning terrorism attacks in Southern Ontario.(see below)
Toronto is a city also struggling to come to grips with a nagging homeless problem which has ebbed and flowed throughout the years. Toronto has a considerably larger homelessness problem than many cities of similar size. In 2003, 31,985 individuals stayed at least once in a Toronto homeless shelter.. Many programs and responsibilities have recently shifted to the city from the provincial and federal governments, with many arguing that the city must come up with new ways to raise revenue to fund these new responsibilities.
For decades, the disuse of the Toronto port lands and lack of development of the Toronto waterfront (also known as the harbourfront, though not to be confused with Harbourfront Centre), has been a major issue. Toronto's central business district is separated from the waterfront by an expanse of open railway and by an elevated highway, the Gardiner Expressway. Many contend that a series of condominium towers built along the waterfront in the 1990s and 2000s contribute to this separation. Parts of the formerly industrial area are now vacant and awaiting redevelopment. In 2004, investments from the Ontario government were made to encourage further development. On May 31, 2006 a design competition awarded a proposal brought forward by Rotterdam based West 8 architects to revitalize the central waterfront as a place to be and to visit. Among the key elements of the proposal, the slips from Bathurst Quay east to York Quay (central waterfront portion) will be extended into the harbour with a natural buffer of trees set back from the slips and it calls for the reduction of Queens Quay from 4 to 2 traffic lanes while maintaining the current Harbourfront LRT route. The proposal also emphasizes the need for stronger north-south connections between the harbour and the downtown core.
Now that the design work has been finalized, implementation of the proposal is set to begin in the fall of 2006.
Further east, south of the Keating Channel (the outflow for the Don River), the land-reclaimed area known as the "Portlands", there have been many controversial approvals and proposals in the last few years. Because this area was entirely industrial (some remains so but most is vacant land brownfields), soil remediation is necessary before much of the land there can be put to other non-industrial uses. Currently, the Portlands has a mishmash of uses including movie production, scrap metal operations, wastewater and refuse management facilities, and aquatic clubs. There is a proposal for a gas-fired power generation facility at the inactive Richard L. Hearn Generating Station.
Another important issue is the city's garbage. As the city's last remaining landfill site located in Vaughan just north of the city, Keele Valley, neared capacity during the 1990s, no other municipality in Ontario was willing to accept the garbage, but there was also little political support for garbage incineration. A deal was eventually made to ship Toronto's garbage to the Adams Mine, an abandoned open pit mine in Northern Ontario, once the Keele Valley site closed. But objections grew into vociferous controversy as the time neared, and eventually the agreement was cancelled. Later an agreement was made with a Michigan landfill to accept Toronto's garbage which remains in effect today.
In 2005, Toronto switched from a "blue box" (plastic and metal) and "grey box" (paper) program to a unified recycling system. The city also introduced in 2005 a green bin program to recover compostable materials. However, the green bin program has come under criticism by watch groups due to its cost, which is three times more to operate than currently shipping to Michigan.
Over the last couple of decades, vehicle and (in particular) highway traffic has been increasing steadily in the Greater Toronto Area. However, road and transit investments have been limited to small projects such as on the 404, the 407, Sheppard subway, and York Region's VIVA bus service. Urban sprawl is a major factor: some commuters travel significant distances within the city and GTA for employment. Another major issue is the discontinuity between transit authorities across various municipalities (although there are plans to integrate these by offering a one-ticket fare across all municipalities by next year) or perceived inefficiency of transit as a viable alternative for commuting. This contributes to gridlock: many single-occupant vehicles idle en route, adding to travel times and smog. A recent study showed that gridlock costs the GTA's economy approximately $6 billion annually in lost revenue. Agencies such as the CAA (Canadian Automobile Association), OTA (Ontario Trucking Association), other commercial transportation interests and some citizens believe that much of the current congestion can be traced to the fact that Toronto's ultimate freeway system as proposed originally was never completed. This camp believes today's network includes huge gaps, and after cancellation of the north-south Spadina Expressway in 1971, successive "anti-car" city councils have not addressed the issue, electing instead to direct funding to transit initiatives and encourage greater pedestrian/cycling/transit usage.
As of June 2006, threats of terrorism have also been increased. On June 3, RCMP and CSIS investigators arrested twelve men and five youths in connection with plotting terrorist attacks in Canada. Officials have declared that these individuals had purchased three tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a key ingredient found in homemade explosive devices, with the intent to target the TSX (Toronto Stock Exchange) and several other unnamed areas in Southern Ontario. While public security is concerned, especially with public transit, investigators have assured that danger is at a minimum. The suspected attacks are thought to be in connection with the Taliban's opposition to Canadian presence in Afghanistan, as Canadian troops have recently come under more frequent attacks, and Taliban officials issuing warnings directly to Canada for the first time since the beginning of the War on Terror (Friday June 2, 2006 - The Globe and Mail).
Toronto and area
City suburbs and neighbourhoods
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From 1954 to 1998, the City of Toronto was one city within a larger federation of cities and municipalities called Metropolitan Toronto. When Metropolitan Toronto was amalgamated by the Ontario provincial government under Mike Harris to become one government, the City of Toronto was enlarged to include the former cities and municipalities of York, East York, North York, Etobicoke, and Scarborough. All of these former cities or municipalities still maintain, in some ways, their own distinct identities; their names are still used by their residents. The areas within the former City of Toronto prior to the merger are still referred to as the old City of Toronto, the Inner City, Toronto Proper, or Downtown Toronto.
The former "City of Toronto" is still the most densely populated area of the current City of Toronto. As the largest metropolitan area in Canada, its downtown core is also one of the commercial, financial and entertainment centres of the country. Immediately surrounding the core, much of "Uptown" consists of wealthy enclaves such as Yorkville, Rosedale, The Annex and Forest Hill, which feature large, upscale residences, luxury condominiums, and high-end retail and services.
The former inner ring suburbs of York and East York are older, traditionally middle-class areas that are also ethnically diverse. Due to an increasing municipal population and a housing boom that ran through the late 1990s and early 2000s, many of the neighborhoods in the inner suburbs experienced accelerated gentrification, with rapidly rising home prices, an influx of wealthier residents, and a boom in upscale businesses to service them. Areas affected the earliest include Leaside and North Toronto, with the western neighborhoods in York just beginning during this time. Much of the housing stock in these areas consists of post-WWI single-family houses and high-rises, but in many areas, these structures are either in the process of being replaced or remodelled.
The outer ring suburbs of the former cities of Etobicoke, Scarborough, and North York are much more suburban, although they largely retain the grid patterns of the streets laid down before post-war suburban development, many from towns that existed prior to their creation as cities.
Toronto has over 200 neighbourhoods within the current city borders. This is why Toronto is often locally described as "a city of neighbourhoods."
Parks
Toronto has numerous parks, parkettes and conservation areas throughout the city:
- Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division is responsible for most parks in the city
- Toronto and Region Conservation Authority is responsible for conservation areas in and beyond the city proper
Toronto's \"905\" exurbs
- Further information: Greater Toronto Area
Before 1993, the telephone area code 416 included the entire Golden Horseshoe region from Clarington to Niagara Falls, Ontario. The area code was then split, with Metropolitan Toronto (now Toronto) alone remaining in 416, while the rest of the area became 905. In informal usage in Toronto, "the 905 region" or "the 905s" quickly began to be used as shorthand for the belt of suburbs and exurbs surrounding the city, but not for places like Niagara Falls or Hamilton. Subsequently both area codes 416 and 905 were overlaid with new codes, 647 and 289 respectively, but popular usage has not been affected by this.
Toronto's exurbs, the major "905" municipalities surrounding the city (roughly from west to east), are:
|
West Halton Peel |
North York |
East Durham |